Session 5 Day 1: Getting Started
- Dave
- Jul 28
- 2 min read
Once we arrived at camp, the first order of business was getting everyone settled into their tents. Campers unpacked, made their beds, and got their spaces organized. The rest of the morning was spent playing name games and icebreakers to help everyone start getting to know each other.
After a hearty spaghetti lunch and a short rest period, we jumped into our afternoon schedule. Each day, campers rotate through four activity periods, each lasting about 90 minutes. While one team might be testing their aim at archery, another could be scaling the climbing wall or working on a creative project in crafts. Teams rotate throughout the day so everyone gets a turn at different activities. Today, the campers took part in the following:
Red and Pink Team (combined): Sports and Crafts
Blue Team: Crafts and River Tracing
Green Team: River Tracing and Ecology
Orange Team: Ecology and Giant Swing
Gray Team (Teens): Climbing and Cooperative Games
We have a post that explains some of these activities which you can see here: https://www.camptaiwan.com.tw/activities One that is not included in that post is our Cooperative Games. As the name suggests, these are games that challenge the group to work together to solve a challenge. They may be competing against the counselor leading the game, or they may be divided into two groups and go head to head. In any case, they need to strategize and communicate to complete the tasks. The specific games they play are tailored for the age and personalities of the campers.
After the final activity period, campers had some time to shower and get ready for dinner.
They’re just finishing up their meal now, and once they’re done, they’ll have a quiet moment to write in their journals. We have been incredibly lucky with the weather today. There have been periods of heavy clouds and periods of bright sunshine. We just had one brief rain shower, and that was during the rest period.
Soon, we will kick off our opening campfire. Tonight’s program includes skits from the counselors, some classic camp games, and a few traditional songs. And of course, we’ll wrap things up the best way we know how—roasting marshmallows and making s’mores around the fire.
That’s it from us for now! Be sure to take a look at today’s photos. If you’re not sure which team your child is in, start by checking the tent group photos—each camper is wearing a name tag with a colored lanyard that matches their team. Then you can browse the activity folders for more pictures.
